Wetlands are full of surprise , but one thing you do n’t typically expect them to do is go bubblegum pink overnight . That ’s the scene unfolding in the Boondall Wetlands in Brisbane , Australia , where resident physician were surprised to find the water had enigmatically turn pink . It ’s a snatch recent for this , Barbiemarketing squad .
functionary did count if pollution might be behind it , but the direct hypothesis now is that warm temperatures and gloomy rainfall have contributed to analgal bloom .
" You might get a slim picnic that might press [ the algae ] in and concentrate them up in an orbit , " say Griffith University Professor Michele Burford to9news . " I think that ’s what we ’re learn here , a concentration of pink algae . They ’re probably only go bad to hang around for a while and then the fart or the lunar time period or something will break up them out again and you wo n’t see them any longer . ”
Algae is just one of many microorganisms that gives Lake Hillier its bubblegum pink coloration.Image credit: matteo_it / Shutterstock.com
Australia is no stranger to bright pinkish waterways , as its ownLake Hillier(pictured below ) is permanently pink . So , why can a ordinarily colourless liquidness suddenly adopt such a foul hue ?
In 1802 , Matthew Flinders became the first to suggest Lake Hillier ’s pink color fare from its salinity , but in the few hundred year that have followed , skill has let out that this is just part of the story . Research in 2022decided to take a close flavor at Lake Hillier ’s pink water , which is eight times saltier than the ocean . conscientious objector - founder of the Extreme Microbiome Project Scott Tighe , corresponding writer on the paper about Lake Hillier , was inspired to take on the mystery behind its vibrancy after seeing it on TV .
“ I thought , that ’s awe-inspiring , ” he toldNew Scientist . “ I ’ve got to get over there and grab samples and sequence the heck out of it . ” So , sequence the heck out of it he did .
Their final result showed that Lake Hillier is home to a diverse set of microorganisms including archaea , bacteria , and virus , but also alga – just like Boondall . All of these microorganisms are pigment producers , and their comportment – whether permanent or fleeting – can therefore castrate theappearance of piddle .
Microbial species canrange in colorfrom blue , to orange , and through to red as a outcome of the carotenoid they contain . It ’s thought that carotenoid provide protection against high - saline solution environments – so Flinders was n’t entirely wrong when he said pink may be the result of salt .
The pinkish phenomenon that ’s swept into the Boondall Wetlands wo n’t be around for long , so if you ’re in Brisbane , go take a peek .
